UP reels under severe cold wave; toll at 75

Lucknow, Jan 4 (UNI) Cold wave conditions continued in Uttar Pradesh with the toll mounting to 75, following four more deaths in the last 24 hours.

The entire state is in the grip of intense cold, especially western areas, where chilly winds have thrown normal life out of gear.

The fresh deaths were reported from Sultanpur, Sant Kabirnagar, Jaunpur and Hamirpur.

Meanwhile, rail, road and air traffic continued to be hit due to the dense fog blanket during early and late hours.

According to the Met department, the extreme cold wave, which was earlier prevalent only in the western parts of UP, is expected to grip the entire state in the coming days with no respite from it in the near future.

In the last 24 hours, Agra, Gorakhpur, Kanpur, Meerut and Lucknow divisions witnessed a significant dip in temperature during the early and late hours.

The Taj City again remained the coldest with the minimum temperature recorded at 3 degrees Celsius, four degrees below normal.

The biting cold wave has thrown normal life out of gear for the last couple of days.

The District Administration has ordered closure of schools till January 5 at certain palces, including Agra and Varanasi.

Temperature in the state capital was recorded 5.2 degrees followed by Aligarh 5.5 degrees and Gorakhpur 6.0 degrees.

Bonfire arrangements had been made for the destitutes, besides distributing quilts to the poor, relief commissioner Umesh Sinha said.

The state government had also agreed to give over Rs 5 crore for quilt distribution and Rs 50,000 for bonfire arrangements in UP, he apprised.

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